After Failing to Achieve The Rookie of The Year Title, Rose Zhang Finds Herself Kissing Another Prestigious Crown

Rose Zhang, LPGA’s young star, had a roll on the tour this year. The golfer earned two wins and a fat paycheck by the end of the 2023 season. Even if Zhang’s playing cadence at the year-end CME Group Tour Championship failed to earn her the title, she still landed in the T13 spot, and her performance turned heads on the greens. 

The player did not win the Rookie of the Year title this year, but irrespective of that, she has made it to the crowned young elites of golf. As the LPGA Tour’s 2023 leg finally comes to an end, Zhang has found herself kissing another glittery crown.

Rose Zhang shines among golf’s young elite

In a recent Instagram update, Rose Zhang reposted a post from Excel Sports Management that features four young golfers—20-year-old Gordon Sargent, Michael Thorbjornsen, Rose Zhang, and Belgian golfer Adrien Dumont de Chassart—among many others who have made it to the 25 under 25 list as the rising stars of the sport.

The list features players from all around the world on the golf scene. Zhang’s presence on this list as a 20-year-old has added a new feather to her pro-golfing career. The golfer has made it to the top of the list because of her success as an amateur golfer and her performance on the greens after she debuted in her early professional career.

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A highlight from the golfer’s golfing career that is one of the biggest reasons behind her addition to this list is the 2020 U.S. Amateur, where she set a glamorous and elegant stage for her future feats. Not just that, the young player’s securing back-to-back individual national titles in 2022 and 2023 has also been one of the reasons she’s sharing the stage with big PGA Tour players on the list.

A recap of Rose Zhang’s 2023 LPGA Tour journey

April 2023 marked a historic day for Rose Zhang. Playing at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Zhang won her first 2023 title on the second playoff hole, edging out her opponent Jenny Bae in a duel. As the azaleas and dogwoods adorned the Augusta National Golf Club, the golfer’s win rang through the lush greens, landing her in the chamber of the top girls on the tour. In the same month, Zhang signed her name to the first position on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She sat on top of the ranking board for a surprising 141 weeks—a record-setting achievement that surpassed any player in golf game history, and that too at a young age.

In May, Zhang defended her title and nailed the individual NCAA Championship for the second consecutive year. This accomplishment earned her a name in NCAA women’s golf history for being the first woman to secure the individual national championship twice. Zhang’s golfing journey this year was not merely about victories; it was actually a luxury mix of skill with the aim of getting better.

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